How I Finally Mastered Hair Retouching (And Why It Changed Everything)
For years, I had a go-to retoucher—an absolute wizard, especially when it came to hair. I’d send my images off, and they’d come back flawless. No stress, no second-guessing. It just worked.
Then life happened. The war in Ukraine disrupted our workflow, and suddenly, I had no retoucher.
At the same time, AI-powered editing tools were taking off. So, I experimented. They were great for the tedious stuff—skin cleanup, basic refinements—but when it came to nuance? They fell short. AI doesn’t see the way we do. It doesn’t make micro-adjustments based on feeling, or instinct, or artistry.
So, I took on my own retouching. It was fine—until I ran into my biggest weakness: hair.
Hair: My One Unfinished Skill
One day, my wife hit me with some truth: “Hair has always been your Achilles’ heel.” And she was right.
No matter how much I improved elsewhere, I couldn’t quite capture the lifelike, natural quality that my retoucher had nailed every time. It was a gap in my skill set—one I could ignore or finally get serious about fixing.
So, I dove in.
The Deep Dive: Learning to Love the Hard Stuff
I’ve spent my whole career refining my craft—always getting better, never chasing “perfection” (because that’s a one-way ticket to burnout). But hair? That was uncharted territory.
I went full student mode:
📌 Tutorials.
📌 Breaking down techniques.
📌 Hours (and hours) of practice.
Turns out, hair retouching isn’t complicated. But getting it right? That’s a whole different game. It takes patience, precision, and an eye for detail. It’s a balancing act—too much refinement looks fake, too little looks sloppy.
I won’t lie. There were some frustrating moments. But here’s the thing—I actually love learning. And this skill? Worth it.
Creativity vs. Business: Finding Balance Again
Lately, a lot of my energy has gone into the business side—marketing, refining my web presence, optimizing client experience. All necessary. All valuable.
But none of that scratches the same itch as craftsmanship.
Mastering hair retouching wasn’t about business strategy. It wasn’t about efficiency. It was about getting better for the sake of the work itself. And I needed that.
This portrait of Felicia was my test. (Shoutout to my makeup artist, Suseon Bak, for making my job easier.) But for the first time, I didn’t hesitate when it came to refining the hair. No frustration, no shortcuts—just a steady hand and full confidence in my skill.
The Bigger Lesson: Growth Comes From the Hard Stuff
It’s easy to stay in your lane. To stick with what you’re already good at. But real growth? That happens when you lean into the things that challenge you—the things that once felt just out of reach.
Hair retouching used to be my weak spot. Now? It’s an area where I get to keep leveling up.
So, here’s my question to you—what’s the one skill you’ve been avoiding because it feels too damn hard?
Drop it in the comments. I bet you’re closer than you think.
